CYPRESS LA PALMA : City to Start Youth Roller Hockey Leagues

An increasingly popular Southland pastime--hockey on roller-skates--is going to become an organized sport in La Palma and Cypress.

The La Palma City Council voted unanimously last week to create roller hockey leagues in conjunction with next-door neighbor Cypress.

The Cypress City Council approved the joint project on Monday night.

“How could we not vote for this?” asked La Palma Councilwoman Eva G. Miner after hearing a city Recreation & Community Services report on the sport’s growth.

Roller hockey is similar to the game played on ice, but roller hockey teams use in-line skates instead of ice skates and play on paved areas.

“Roller hockey has expanded all over Orange County,” Ron Kenny, La Palma’s director of recreation and community services, told council members. “We feel there is a need for a formal league.”

The City Council authorized Kenny’s department to create three roller hockey leagues. One will be for third- and fourth-graders, one for fifth- and sixth-graders, and one for seventh- and eighth-graders.

Each league will have a maximum of 60 players, equally divided between Cypress and La Palma residents. Leagues are expected to be underway by June.

All players signing up with the leagues must pay $25 to join the National In-Line Hockey Assn. In addition, Cypress and La Palma are expected to charge fees of each player.

La Palma’s City Council last week proposed a levy of $55 per player. The council said it will vote on the proposed fee at a public hearing at its next meeting.